Rahm Israel Emanuel (; born November 29, 1959) is an American politician, who is the 44th and current mayor of Chicago. A member of the Democratic Party, Emanuel was elected in 2011 and re-elected on April 7, 2015.

In October 2010, Emanuel resigned as chief of staff to run as a candidate in Chicago's 2011 mayoral election. Because of questions over his eligibility to run for mayor, Emanuel's candidacy was initially rejected by the Illinois First District Appellate Court, though he was later found eligible to run in a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court of Illinois. Emanuel won with 55% of the vote over five other candidates in the nonpartisan mayoral election, succeeding 22-year incumbent Richard M. Daley. Although Emanuel failed to obtain an absolute majority in the February 2015 mayoral election, he defeated Cook County board commissioner Jesús "Chuy" García in the subsequent runoff election in April.

In late 2015, Emanuel's approval rating plunged to "the low 20's"[1] in response to a series of scandals,[2] most directly the police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, the city's subsequent attempts to withhold a video of the shooting, and the lack of an investigation into the matter. In early December 2015 the federal Justice Department announced an investigation into the operations of the Chicago police department, a move which Emanuel initially opposed.[3] At one point half of Chicagoans favored Emanuel's resignation,[4] with highly critical evaluations of the mayor appearing in such sources as The New York Times[5] and The New Yorker,[2] and coming from such figures as the Reverend Al Sharpton.[6]

By July 2017, Emanuel was said to have raised $1.6 million towards a potential run for a third term in the 2019 election, and although his approval ratings had not recovered to 50%, he had made steady progress in recovering his political support.[1] He announced he was running for a third term in October 2017.[7]

Early life and family

Emanuel's grandfather was a Romanian Jew from Bessarabia (now Moldova).[8] The surname Emanuel (Hebrew: ), which means "God with us", was adopted by their family in honor of his father's brother Emanuel Auerbach, who was killed in 1933 in an altercation with Arabs in Jerusalem.[9][10]

Though fiercely intelligent ... he was not naturally inclined to sit at a desk and put in extra effort to turn a B into an A. As my father often said, without noting that the phrase applied to himself at that same age, "Rahm always tries to get the maximum for the minimum."[12]

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Rahm was encouraged by his mother to take ballet lessons and is a graduate of the Evanston School of Ballet,[18] as well as a student of The Joel Hall Dance Center, where his children later took lessons.[19] He won a scholarship to the Joffrey Ballet,[20] but turned it down to attend Sarah Lawrence College, a liberal arts school with a strong dance program.[21] This background, as well as the mayor's short stature, has led critics of the Mayor to nickname him "tiny dancer." While an undergraduate, Emanuel was elected to the Sarah Lawrence Student Senate. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts, and went on to receive a Master of Arts in Speech and Communication from Northwestern University in 1985.[22]

Emanuel took part in a two-week civilian volunteer holiday, known as the Sar-El, where, as a civilian volunteer, he assisted the Israel Defense Forces during the 1991 Gulf War, helping to repair truck brakes in one of Israel's northern bases.[23][24]

While a high school student working part-time at an Arby's restaurant, Emanuel severely cut his right middle finger on a meat slicer, which was later infected from swimming in Lake Michigan. His finger was partially amputated due to the severity of the infection.[12][25]

Political staffer career

Emanuel began his political career with the public interest and consumer rights organization Illinois Public Action.[26] He went on to serve in a number of capacities in local and national politics, initially specializing in fundraising for Illinois campaigns, and then nationally.[27]

At the start of then-Arkansas GovernorBill Clinton's presidential primary campaign, Emanuel was appointed to direct the campaign's finance committee.[27] Emanuel insisted that Clinton schedule time for fundraising and delay campaigning in New Hampshire.[29] Clinton embarked on an aggressive national fundraising campaign that allowed the campaign to keep buying television time as attacks on Clinton's character threatened to swamp the campaign during the New Hampshire primary. Clinton's primary rival, Paul Tsongas (the New Hampshire Democratic primary winner), later withdrew, citing a lack of campaign funds.[30] Richard Mintz, a Washington public relations consultant who worked with Emanuel on the campaign, spoke about the soundness of the idea: "It was that [extra] million dollars that really allowed the campaign to withstand the storm we had to ride out in New Hampshire [over Clinton's relationship with Gennifer Flowers and the controversy over his draft status during the Vietnam War]." Emanuel's knowledge of the top donors in the country, and his rapport with "heavily Jewish" donors helped Clinton amass a then-unheard-of sum of $72 million.[31] While working on the Clinton campaign Emanuel was a paid retainer of the investment bank Goldman Sachs.[32]

Following the campaign, Emanuel became a senior advisor to Clinton at the White House from 1993 to 1998.[33] In the White House, Emanuel was initially Assistant to the President for Political Affairs[34] and then Senior Advisor to the President for Policy and Strategy.[35] He was a leading strategist in White House efforts to institute NAFTA[36][37] and universal health care[], among other Clinton initiatives.[38]

Emanuel is known for his "take-no-prisoners style" that has earned him the nickname "Rahmbo."[39] Emanuel sent a dead fish in a box to a pollster who was late delivering polling results.[40] On the night after the 1992 election, angry at Democrats and Republicans who "betrayed" them in the 1992 election, Emanuel stood up at a celebratory dinner with colleagues from the campaign and began plunging a steak knife into the table and began rattling off names while shouting "Dead! Dead! Dead!".[9] Before Tony Blair gave a pro-Clinton speech during the impeachment crisis, Emanuel reportedly screamed at Blair "Don't fuck this up!" while Clinton was present.[41] Blair and Clinton both burst into laughter.[42] However, by 2007 friends of Emanuel were saying that he has "mellowed out".[31] Stories of his personal style have entered the popular culture, inspiring articles and websites that chronicle these and other quotes and incidents.[43][44][45][46] The character Josh Lyman in The West Wing was said to be based on Emanuel, though executive producer Lawrence O'Donnell denied this.[47]

Career in finance

After serving as an advisor to Bill Clinton, in 1998 Emanuel resigned from his position in the Clinton administration and joined the investment banking firm Wasserstein Perella, where he worked for 2 1/2 years.[48] Although he did not have an MBA degree or prior banking experience, he became a managing director at the firm's Chicago office in 1999, and according to Congressional disclosures, made $16.2 million in his years as a banker.[48][49] At Wasserstein Perella, he worked on eight deals, including the acquisition by Commonwealth Edison of Peco Energy and the purchase by GTCR Golder Rauner of the SecurityLink home security unit from SBC Communications.[48]

Freddie Mac

Emanuel was named to the Board of Directors of Freddie Mac by President Clinton in 2000. He earned at least $320,000 during his time there, including later stock sales.[50][51] During Emanuel's time on the board, Freddie Mac was plagued with scandals involving campaign contributions and accounting irregularities.[51][52] The Bush Administration rejected a request under the Freedom of Information Act to review Freddie Mac board minutes and correspondence during Emanuel's time as a director.[51] The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight later accused the board of having "failed in its duty to follow up on matters brought to its attention." Emanuel resigned from the board in 2001 before his first bid for Congress.[53]

Tenure

Emanuel was elected after the October 2002 joint Congressional resolution authorizing the Iraq War, and so did not vote on it. However, in the lead up to the resolution, Emanuel spoke out strongly in support of the war, urging a United States' "muscular projection of force" in Iraq. Emanuel has been the focus of anti-war protests for his support of funding bills for the war in Iraq, and his support, during Democratic party primaries, of Democratic candidates that were more hawkish.

In January 2003, Emanuel was named to the House Financial Services Committee and sat on the subcommittee that oversaw Freddie Mac. A few months later, Freddie Mac Chief Executive Officer Leland Brendsel was forced out and the committee and subcommittee commenced more than a year of hearings into Freddie Mac. Emanuel skipped every hearing allegedly for reasons of avoiding any appearance of favoritism, impropriety, or conflict of interest.[55]

The Democratic Party gained 30 seats in the House in the 2006 elections and Emanuel received considerable praise for his stewardship of the DCCC, even from Illinois Republican Rep. Ray LaHood who said "He legitimately can be called the golden boy of the Democratic Party today. He recruited the right candidates, found the money and funded them, and provided issues for them. Rahm did what no one else could do in seven cycles."[59]

However, Emanuel also faced some criticism for his failure to support some progressive candidates, as Howard Dean advocated.[60] Emanuel had "aggressively recruited right-leaning candidates, frequently military veterans, including former Republicans". Many of the Representatives that Rahm had recruited such as Heath Shuler ending up "[voted] against important Obama Administration priorities, like economic stimulus, banking reform, and health care". Howie Klein has suggested that Emanuel's congressional campaign strategy was short-sighted as it "contributed to the massive G.O.P. majorities we have now, the biggest since the nineteen-twenties" when the Democrats lost control of the House in the 2010 midterm elections.[2]

After Emanuel's election as chairman of the Democratic Caucus (see below), Chris Van Hollen became committee chair for the 110th Congress.

Democratic Caucus chairman

After his role in helping the Democrats win the 2006 elections, Emanuel was believed to be a leading candidate for the position of Majority Whip. Nancy Pelosi, who became the next Speaker of the House of Representatives, persuaded him not to challenge Jim Clyburn, but instead to succeed Clyburn in the role of Democratic Caucus Chairman. In return, Pelosi agreed to assign the caucus chair more responsibilities, including "aspects of strategy and messaging, incumbent retention, policy development and rapid-response communications." Caucus vice-chair John Larson remained in his role instead of running for the chairman position.[61]

After Vice President Dick Cheney asserted that he did not fall within the bounds of orders set for the executive branch, Emanuel called for cutting off the $4.8 million the Executive Branch provides for the Vice President's office.[62]

Positions on political issues

Emanuel is generally liberal on social issues. He has maintained a 100-percent pro-choice voting record, supports LGBT rights including same-sex marriage, and is a strong supporter of gun control, rated "F" by the NRA in December 2003.[63] He has also strongly supported the banning of numerous rifles based upon "sporting purposes" criteria.[64]

During his original 2002 campaign, Emanuel spoke in support of the goal of "to help make health care affordable and available for all Americans".[31]

In his 2006 book, co-authored with Bruce Reed, The Plan: Big Ideas for America,[65] Emanuel advocated a three-month compulsory universal service program for Americans between the ages of 18 and 25. An expanded version was later proposed by Barack Obama during his 2008 campaign.

Iraq war

During his original 2002 campaign, Emanuel "indicated his support of President Bush's position on Iraq, but said he believed the President needed to better articulate his position to the American people".[31]

In the 2006 congressional primaries, Emanuel, then head of the Democratic congressional campaign committee, helped organize a run by Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran with no political experience, against grassroots candidate Christine Cegelis in Illinois' 6th district. Expedited withdrawal from Iraq was a central point of Cegelis' campaign and Duckworth opposed a withdrawal timetable.[66]

Middle east

In June 2007, Emanuel condemned an outbreak of Palestinian violence in the Gaza Strip and criticized Arab countries for not applying the same kind of pressure on the Palestinians as they have on Israel. At a 2003 pro-Israel rally in Chicago, Emanuel told the marchers that Israel was "ready for peace" but would not get there until Palestinians "turn away from the path of terror".[67]

White House Chief of Staff

Emanuel declared in April 2006 that he would support Hillary Clinton should she pursue the presidency in 2008. Emanuel remained close to Clinton since leaving the White House, talking strategy with her at least once a month as chairman of the DCCC.[16] However, Emanuel's loyalties came into conflict when his home-state Senator, Barack Obama, expressed interest in the race. Asked in January 2007, about his stance on the Democratic presidential nomination, he said: "I'm hiding under the desk. I'm very far under the desk, and I'm bringing my paper and my phone."[68] Emanuel remained neutral in the race until June 4, 2008, the day after the final primary contests, when he endorsed Obama.[69]

White House Chief of Staff Emanuel reads a newspaper in the Oval Office, as President Barack Obama talks on the phone on April 4, 2009.

Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel in the Oval Office

On November 6, 2008, Emanuel accepted the position of White House Chief of Staff for US President Barack Obama.[70][71] He resigned his congressional seat effective January 2, 2009.[72] A special primary to fill his vacated congressional seat was held on March 3, 2009, and the special general election on April 7.[73]John Fritchey, a candidate for that seat, said at a forum that Emanuel had told him he may be interested in running for the seat again in the future.[74]

Some Republican leaders criticized Emanuel's appointment because they believed it went against Obama's campaign promises of less divisive politics, given Emanuel's reputation as a partisan Democrat.[71] Republican Senator Lindsey Graham disagreed, saying: "This is a wise choice by President-elect Obama. He's tough but fair, honest, direct and candid."[75] Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, said that the choice indicated that Obama would not listen to the "wrong people" regarding the U.S.-Israel relationship.[67] Some commentators opined that Emanuel would be good for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process because if Israeli leaders made excuses for not dismantling settlements, Emanuel would be tough and pressure the Israelis to comply.[76][77] Some Palestinians expressed dismay at Emanuel's appointment.[78][79]

Weeks after accepting the appointment, Emanuel participated on a panel of corporate chief executive officers sponsored by the Wall Street Journal and said, "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste."[80] The quote was taken out of context by some commentators as evidence "...that the left supposedly wants to exploit circumstances to ram its agenda through."[81] Emanuel explained later, "...what I said was, never allow a good crisis to go to waste when it's an opportunity to do things that you had never considered, or that you didn't think were possible."[82]

In a 2009 article in The New York Times, Emanuel was characterized as being "perhaps the most influential chief of staff of a generation".[83]

He has a reputation for his no-holds-barred negotiation style that involves "his share of shouting and cursing". Ezekiel Emanuel has written, "The impatient, pushy Emanuel style is so well known that during a recent job interview I was asked, point-blank, whether I had the level-headed temperament the position required..... [A]s obvious to our flaws are to others, it's difficult to recognize them in ourselves."[12] At a January 2010 closed-door meeting in the White House with liberal activists, Emanuel called them "fucking retarded" for planning to run TV ads attacking conservative Democrats who didn't support Obama's health-care overhaul. After the remarks were quoted in a front-page story of the Wall Street Journal,[84] and after he was criticized by Sarah Palin, Emanuel apologized to organizations for the mentally handicapped for using the word "retarded."[85][86]

According to Jonathan Alter's book, The Promise, Emanuel opposed Barack Obama's plan for a broad health care reform, but Obama overrode him. Emanuel advocated a smaller plan because it could get bipartisan support. Emanuel wanted to expand coverage for children, and increase the number of single mothers eligible for Medicaid. For that reason, it was called "the Titanic plan."[87] Reportedly, House Speaker Pelosi had to convince Obama on the health care initiative after Emanuel dramatically scaled it back. Emanuel has since apologized for his role, saying "Thank God for the country he didn't listen to me," after the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare in 2012.[2]

In 2010, Emanuel was reported to have conflicts with other senior members of the president's team and ideological clashes over policy. He was also the focal point of criticism from left-leaning Democrats for the administration's perceived move to the center. By September 2010, with the Democrats anticipating heavy losses in midterm elections, this was said to precipitate Emanuel's departure as chief of staff.[90]

Mayor of Chicago

Elections

2011

On September 30, 2010, it was announced that Emanuel would leave his post as White House Chief of Staff to run for Mayor of Chicago.[91] He was replaced by Pete Rouse on October 2, 2010.

Emanuel's eligibility for office was challenged on the basis of his lack of residency in Chicago for one year prior to the election. The Board of Elections and the Cook County Circuit Court affirmed his eligibility. A divided Court of Appeals reversed the Circuit Court, holding on January 24, 2011, that residency for purposes of a candidate is different from residency for purposes of being a voter.[92] A further appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court resulted in a unanimous decision reversing the Court of Appeals and affirming Emanuel's eligibility.[93][94]

Emanuel's mayoral campaign was the inspiration for a satirical Twitter account called MayorEmanuel, which received over 43,000 followers, more popular than Emanuel's actual Twitter account. Emanuel announced on February 28 that if the author would reveal himself, he would donate $5,000 to the charity of the author's choice.[95] When Chicago journalist Dan Sinker revealed himself, Emanuel donated the money to Young Chicago Authors, a community organization which helps young people with writing and publishing skills.[96]

2015

In 2015, Emanuel won 56 percent of the vote in the run-off election against Jesús "Chuy" García held on April 7, 2015.[103] He had been hurt by sharp neighborhood criticism of his decision to shut down 50 public schools in black and Latino neighborhoods and his installation of red light cameras, together with anger at the high level of gun violence on the streets. On the other hand, he was supported by the business community and most elements of the Democratic party.[104]

2019

Emanuel announced in October 2017 that he was running for reelection in 2019 despite low approval ratings and some potentially serious challengers.[105]

Tenure

Emanuel assembled a transition team from varied backgrounds.[106][107] On November 16, the city council voted unanimously to adopt the mayor's first budget, which decreased the budget by $34 million and increased spending by $46.2 million, supported by increasing fees and fines. Despite most Aldermen opposing cuts to library workers and the closure of mental health clinics, they ultimately supported it, calling it "honest".[108][109] At a news conference in November 2012, Emanuel listed his top three priorities for the state legislature as security and pension reform, adding a casino to Chicago, and equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.[110] At a press conference with Illinois GovernorPat Quinn, who previously vetoed legislation to put a casino in Chicago, the two were "very close" to reaching a deal.[111]

Rahm Emanuel speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Bloomingdale Trail in August 2013

Police and community relations

In August 2012, a federal lawsuit was filed by eleven Chicago police officers alleging they were removed from the mayoral security detail and replaced with officers who worked on Emanuel's mayoral campaign, in violation of the 1983 Shakman Decree, which bars city officials from making political considerations in the hiring process.[112]

Rahm Emanuel faced a great deal of criticism for his handling of the October 20, 2014 police shooting of Laquan McDonald. The dash-cam video of the shooting was initially withheld, and only was released after a judge ordered it on November 24, 2015. After the video release, Emanuel was condemned for covering up the incident and allowing Chicago police to use excessive force against minorities.[113]Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass wrote that the Emanuel administration withheld from the public the police dashboard camera video of the shooting in order to secure the re-election.[114] Emanuel responded to criticism of the shooting and how it was handled by firing police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.[115] In early December, the federal Justice Department announced an investigation into the Chicago Police Department, a move which Emanuel initially called "misguided."[3] Illinois state legislator La Shawn Ford also introduced a bill to recall the mayor (an effort most pundits claim is more symbolic than practical).[116]

Protests erupted soon after the release of the video, and on Black Friday protesters shut down part of the city's Magnificent Mile.[117][118] Public calls for resignation grew steadily over this period, including a well-circulated op-ed published in The New York Times.[5] By early December, Emanuel's approval rating had sunk to 18%, with 67% of Chicagoans disapproving of his job performance and slightly more than half of those polled calling for his resignation.[4] During the week of December 10, protestors blocked streets and continued to call for Emanuel to resign.[119][120] Additional protests against Emanuel and Chicago's Police Department were held on the city's busy Michigan Avenue shopping area on December 24, 2015.[121]

On December 26, 2015, a police officer killed two people in another shooting, including a woman whom the officer had shot by mistake. On December 28, Emanuel announced that he was cutting short his vacation in Cuba to deal with the crisis.[122][123][124] Emanuel announced several changes to the Chicago police department on December 30, including doubling the number of Tasers issued to officers.[125] On New Year's Eve the Emanuel administration released emails revealing they had sought to coordinate with independent agencies such as the Independent Police Review Authority regarding public relations after the shooting.[126][127][128] The same day The New Yorker added to the wave of negative media attention surrounding the mayor by publishing "The Sudden But Well-Deserved Fall of Rahm Emanuel", an article critically reevaluating Emanuel's legacy as a political operative since the early 90s.[2]

Public education

In 2012, during the contract negotiations between the city and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), compromise could not be reached over issues like health insurance increases, teacher evaluations, and seniority pay increases.[129] On August 8, 2012, the CTU voted 90% to authorize a strike.[130] On September 10, the CTU began a strike[131] after CTU President Lewis declared that negotiations with the city were not succeeding.[132] On September 14, the CTU reached a tentative agreement with the city which included preferences for teachers who have been laid off due to a school closing to be hired in another school and student test scores having less of a role in teacher evaluations than the city had originally planned.[133] This tentative agreement did not hold, and the strike continued, after which Emanuel announced his intention to seek a legal injunction, forcing teachers back to work.[134] On September 17, Emanuel's efforts to end the strike stalled as the walkout went into the second week.[135] Delegates from the CTU voted to end the strike on September 18, 2012,[136][137] and students began their return to the schools the following day.[138]

On September 17, 2013, Emanuel's appointed Chicago Board of Education announced the closing of 50 Chicago public schools, 49 elementary schools and a high school -- the largest school closure in Chicago history.[139]

Public health

On August 16, 2011, Emanuel unveiled "Healthy Chicago," the city's first-ever public health blueprint with the Chicago Department of Public Health's Commissioner Bechara Choucair.[140] Emanuel initiated the consolidation of City Council committees from 19 to 16 in a cost control effort.[141] On October 30, 2012, Emanuel voiced his support for the demolition of the abandoned Prentice Women's Hospital Building, in order for Northwestern University, which owns the property, to build a new facility. Preservationists supported historical landmark status.[142] Days later, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks voted that the building met landmark status criteria then reversed their decision later in the same meeting. On November 15, a judge granted a temporary stay of the decision in order for a lawsuit filed by preservation coalitions against the landmark commission to be heard.[143]

Transparency

Emanuel rejected requests under Illinois' Freedom of Information Act from The Chicago Tribune for various communication and information logs for himself and his staff, labelling it "unduly burdensome." After a second request by the Tribune, they were informed that 90 percent of the emails had been deleted by Emanuel and his top aides.[144] As a result, Emanuel came under fire for going against his campaign promise to create "the most open, accountable, and transparent government that the City of Chicago has ever seen."[145]

Tax-exempt status of Lollapalooza

Lollapalooza, an annual summer music festival in Grant Park, was exempt from taxation. Emanuel's brother Ari is the co-CEO of William Morris Endeavor, which co-owns the event. In 2011 Rahm Emanuel asked the City Council to appoint an independent third party negotiator, to avoid having the negotiation seen as biased. Although the deal was reached before Emanuel took office, tax breaks must be negotiated every year.[146] It was later revealed that the festival received its tax exemption for 2011 in the final days of the Daley administration.[147] In 2012, Lollapalooza paid taxes for the first time in seven years and extended its contract to host in Grant Park through 2021.[148]

Personal life

Emanuel and his wife, Amy Merritt Rule, have a son and two daughters. The family lives in the Ravenswood neighborhood on Chicago's north side.[152] Rule converted to Judaism shortly before their wedding.[153] Emanuel is a close friend of fellow Chicagoan David Axelrod, chief strategist for Obama's 2008 and 2012 presidential campaign, and Axelrod signed the ketuba, the Jewish marriage contract, at Emanuel's wedding.[40] The Emanuels are members of the Chicago synagogue Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel.[31] Rabbi Asher Lopatin of the congregation described Emanuel's family as "a very involved Jewish family," adding that "Amy was one of the teachers for a class for children during the High Holidays two years ago."[31] Emanuel has said of his Judaism: "I am proud of my heritage and treasure the values it has taught me."[31] Emanuel's children attended the private University of Chicago Laboratory Schools in the Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's south side.[154]

Each year during the winter holidays, Emanuel takes a family trip where his children can be exposed to other cultures and parts of the world. Prior family trips have been to Vietnam, India, Kenya, Zambia, and South America. His 2015 holiday trip was scheduled for the island of Cuba.[155]

Emanuel trains for and participates in triathlons.[16] In 2011, he scored 9th out of 80 competitors in his age group. A passionate cyclist, he rides a custom-built, state-of-the-art Parlee road bike.[156]

^MacAskill, Ewen (November 7, 2008). "Economic rescue plan main priority as new chief of staff named". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2008. Like the president-elect, Emanuel is a Chicago native with a strong connection to the city's politicians. Both have inspired characters on the television series The West Wing, with Emanuel providing the model for Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman.